Ideas for Healthcare Reform

[Toro]

There is a lot of debate about healthcare reform, but most of it is in support or opposed to what is (or is not) being debated in Congress.

What would you do? What would you like to see reformed? Or do you want nothing to change and think the system does not need reform?

Ideas that I would like to see at least seriously considered are

- Make all healthcare insurance companies mutual companies that serve the members first, not to generate profits. This is what the insurance companies are in Switzerland and Germany. State Farm is a good example of a mutual insurance company in America.
- Insurance companies are not allowed to drop people.
- Insurance companies cannot turn people down.
- Reform of tort laws that cap awards.

 

[veritas]

Mutuals are technically cooperatives. Although State Farm's services anecdotally are not unlike the publicly offered companies. They are only property and casualty.

 

[namvet]

give Osama's to the un insured. leave the rest of us alone

 

[veritas]

give Osama's to the un insured. leave the rest of us alone

You have government healthcare. You got yours, screw everyone else.

 

[namvet]

give Osama's to the un insured. leave the rest of us alone

You have government healthcare. You got yours, screw everyone else.

I have private to. because last nov i knew this dictator would blow it all up. can you tell me when i was appointed to help everyone else???? sure would like to know

 

[johnrocks]

1. Repeal the HMO Act of 1973 which requires all but the smallest employers to offer their employees HMO coverage, and the tax code allows businesses, but not individuals, to deduct the cost of health insurance premiums. The result is the insane coupling of employment and health insurance, which often leaves the unemployed without needed catastrophic coverage.

2. Repeal the ERISA Act of 1974 which is a federal law that sets minimum standards for retirement and health benefit plans in private industry. This attracted special interests to insert things from wet nurses to maternity in group plans,these minimal standards have raised costs and took away our freedom to choose the coverage we want as individuals.

3. Introduce legislation that gives tax credits for individuals to buy their own insurance,be it comprehensive or high deductible catastrophic or Medical Savings Accounts.

4. Introduce legislation that gives tax credits for "negative outcomes" insurance that people can purchase prior to an operation that would remove costly litigation yet preserve trial by jury we hold so dear in this country,it could drive down liability costs and the consumer would be able to set the value they want on their property which is their body.

5. Introduce Tax Credits for people who take a large amount of prescription medicine,this could help those in need without creating bureaucracy such as Medicare Part "D". We could also do this for people who take care of their parents or children to relieve burdens.

6. Remove any limitations on Medical Savings type accounts. This would expand access,it's the fastest growing market there is and could grow faster without the constraints govt. places on them.

7. Allow insurance companies to sell nationally and allow all insurance companies to participate, Mutual Companies,non profits,Property and Casualty,you name it,open up the competition.

8. Give huge tax credits to companies wanting to open Doc in a Box type clinics in towns,in the Wal Marts,Wal Greens and Targets nation wide. This would releive pressure on ER rooms, a lot of times a child may get sick late at night and the only place to go is ER,this could alleviate that since these type places are open at night and on weekends.